Former Port Vale manager Michael Brown has spoken to the BBC following his exit from the club.

In the interview, Brown says he was hamstrung by a reduced budget but had support from both owner Norman Smurthwaite and CEO Colin Garlick.

It was a very difficult situation I found myself in with a full recruitment programme…

Brown told the BBC: “When I took over it was in a difficult situation in December last season. We sold Jak Anwick and Anthony Grant on deadline day, so arguably two of our best players.

“So it was a baptism of fire that I managed to go straight into. We had heavily probably reduced the budget from previous years and previous ownerships and managers.

“It was a very difficult situation I found myself in with a full recruitment programme.”

He added: “At Port Vale Football Club I think they have a chairman in Norman Smurthwaite who doesn’t understand football. He actually says he doesn’t understand it and doesn’t want to be involved in it.

“He is trying to actively sell the club. So, to be fair to Norman I had a good relationship with him, on the whole.

“But I had Colin Garlick who is a very experienced chief executive who has just come out of Rochdale so he was certainly a good mentor and a good person to pick his brains and help me along the way.”